DOI is an acronym for “Digital Object Identifier“. The DOI system was started by the International DOI Foundation in 1998, and initially developed with the collaboration of some participants in ISO/TC 46/SC 9. The DOI system is designed to operate over the Internet. A DOI name is permanently assigned to an object to provide a persistent network link, which resolves to current information about that object, including where the object or information about it can be found on the Internet. While information about an object may change over time, its DOI name will not change. A DOI name may resolve within the DOI system to values of one or more data types related to the object identified by that DOI name, such as a URL, an email address, other identifiers, and descriptive metadata.
The DOI system allows the construction of automated transactions and services. Applications of the DOI system include, but are not limited to, management of location and access to information and documentation; metadata management; facilitate electronic transactions; persistent unique identification of any form of data; and commercial and non-commercial transactions.
The content of an object associated with a DOI name is unambiguously described by DOI metadata, based on a structured extensible data model that allows the object to be associated with metadata of any desired degree of precision and granularity to support the description and services. The data model supports interoperability between DOI applications.
The scope of the DOI system is not defined by reference to the type of content of the referrer, but by reference to the functionalities it provides and the context of use. The DOI system provides, within DOI application networks, unique identification, persistence, resolution, metadata and semantic interoperability.
The rule ISO 26324:2012 defines the syntax of a DOI name, which is used for the identification of an object of any material form (digital or physical) or an abstraction (such as a textual work) where there is a functional need to distinguish it from other objects. The aforementioned standard does not specify specific technologies to implement the functional components of syntax, description and resolution of the digital object identification system.
The DOI name does not replace, nor is it an alternative to, an identifier used in another scheme, the DOI may be used in conjunction with another identifier scheme (for example, to provide additional functionality, such as resolution, where this is not already available)